


Muggles, Mischief, Music and Mayhem

by sesheta_66



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 11:51:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12253854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sesheta_66/pseuds/sesheta_66
Summary: Harry hadn't expected Malfoy to be working on Christmas Eve with him.  What happened over the course of the evening was even less expected.





	Muggles, Mischief, Music and Mayhem

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my beta, dysonrules.

"This is all your fault, Potter!"

Harry put down his quill and glared at Malfoy. "How do you work that one out?"

"I should be at home, sipping mulled wine and wrapping presents."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, right. You probably have house-elves do the wrapping."

Malfoy stalked over to Harry's desk, folded his arms over his chest and scowled. "Be that as it may, I must supervise. And that's entirely beside the point. I should be home, not here--" He unfolded his arms and poked Harry in the chest. "--with you."

Harry swatted Malfoy's hand away. "I didn't make you work tonight."

"No, but Kingsley did. And it just figures he'd have you work too."

Harry was saved replying when a memo flew in. He spared Malfoy a sneer before grabbing it out of the air. He read it and sighed. "An alarm sounded at a shop in Reading. Let's go."

They Apparated into an alley behind the shop, then watched in amazement as two young men - late teens, by the looks of them - hoisted boxes of merchandise into a waiting van out back.

"Muggles?" Malfoy said, clearly as surprised as Harry.

Harry frowned. "Looks like."

"How the bloody hell did they get into a wizard shop?"

"We're in the Muggle part of town." Harry waved his wand about a few times and watched the threads of the spell dissipate. "No protective enchantments to hide the building from view. The shop must cater to both."

"Idiots, the lot of them."

Harry couldn't disagree, considering the current state of affairs. "So, how should we handle this?"

Malfoy pondered the question. "We can't call the Muggle police without them seizing the property to investigate."

"Right, and we can't risk them stumbling across magical items."

"Again. Idiots!"

"So, we stop them, Obliviate them, return everything to the shop, then send them on their way?"

Malfoy grinned. "I have a better idea."

When they returned to the office, Harry was still chuckling. "Who knew you had it in you?"

Malfoy smirked. "I've always had an incredible sense of humour. Just because you're too thick to appreciate it ..."

"You mean just because I'm usually the brunt of it."

Malfoy shrugged. "Semantics."

Harry shook his head, still picturing the two blokes, sitting unconscious in the vestibule of the Muggle police station, leaning against each other with stupid half-grins on their faces. They weren't likely to rouse for a few hours - plenty of time for someone to discover them there. Their van sat illegally parked out front, full of what were likely stolen goods from other shops. The keys rested on the belly of the heavier bloke.

Malfoy and Harry had returned the wizarding shop's goods, but stacked them precariously, with a note summoning the owners to the Ministry to answer to a long list of infractions, not the least of which was blatant disregard for the Statute of Secrecy.

All in all, it had been rather a pleasant resolution. Harry smiled. "I'm impressed."

Stunned silence looked good on Malfoy.

While they scribbled their reports, another note arrived. Malfoy grabbed it and rolled his eyes. "Does idiocy run rampant on holidays?" he asked.

Harry chuckled. "Always."

They arrived at the next stop to find Muggles staring open-mouthed at a magical window display in a shop front in London. _London!_ The Muggles in question had been spelled to remain where they were, and had been prevented from speaking. They looked like a combination of gaping fish, wide-eyed children full of wonder, and frightened deer caught in a car's headlights.

Malfoy groaned next to Harry and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes. "Right, so what you're saying is that these Muggles happened upon this display after you'd decided - in the middle of bloody London - to enchant it for your visiting friends?"

A boy of about fifteen wrung his hands together, looking like he was about to vomit. "Yes, sir."

"And then, instead of letting them believe it was some Muggle creation, easily explained away, you decided to hold them _against their will_ , thereby reinforcing the presence of magic, without any sort of plan."

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought the boy might have wet his pants. Certainly his eyes were welling up under Malfoy's questioning, even as he nodded in response.

"And then you compounded the problem by silencing them?" Surprisingly, despite the clear disdain in his voice, Malfoy remained calm.

"W-well, they began screaming. What was I to do?"

Malfoy closed the distance between him and the boy and leaned in. He practically growled directly into his face. "You shouldn't have done _anything_ at all, you complete, utter --"

Harry rested a hand on Malfoy's shoulder and interjected. "How old are you, son?"

"S-seventeen?"

"Try again," Malfoy barked.

The boy hung his head and mumbled, "Fifteen."

"Typical."

Harry held back a chuckle as he remembered some of the antics the two of them had pulled at fifteen. "Let me sum this up. You are underage. You used magic in a public place, in the presence of Muggles. You then used more magic in a frankly sorry attempt to cover up what you'd done. Your friends either scampered away or you chose to take all the blame for yourself. You then realised that you had no way out, and contacted the Ministry. Is that about right?"

He nodded, looking somewhat relieved to face Harry.

Malfoy added, "So we're just supposed to clear up this whole mess for you?"

"Um … well … I --"

Harry turned to the Muggles, cast a quick _Obliviate_ and sent them on their way. When he turned back to the boy, Malfoy was lecturing him on the use of magic outside of school. That was rich.

Harry ran a hand through his fringe, and the boy's eyes went wide. "Are you H-Harry Potter?" Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"I am Auror Potter," Harry replied. "And this is Auror Malfoy."

The boy's fear went from a five or six to a forty in a heartbeat. "D- Draco Malfoy?" he said.

" _Auror_ Malfoy," he replied. "Children do not use my first name. Is that clear?"

The boy nodded, and distinctly muttered, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."

"Oh shit is right, young man," Malfoy said. Harry thought he caught a hint of amusement in his voice.

Harry took pity on the boy. "We'll have to report this incident, you realise." The boy nodded, once more close to tears. "But we could, perhaps, take some time to file the paperwork."

Malfoy spun his head so fast in Harry's direction, he might have hurt himself. Harry turned enough that the boy wouldn't see, and winked at his fellow Auror. Malfoy's cool demeanour faltered briefly before he regained his composure. "Yes," he said, his voice softening ever so slightly as he turned back to the boy. "It's Christmas after all. Busy time, short-staffed, paperwork can get buried."

The boy's jaw dropped. This time, Harry couldn't help but chuckle. 

"But don't expect anyone to clean up your messes in the future," Malfoy added. "My partner might not be the one responding next time."

The boy shook his head frantically. "Yes, sir. I understand, sir. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Malfoy added.

They took down the boy's details, advising him that he'd be receiving notice from the Ministry soon, and that he'd best prepare his parents ahead of time. Harry suggested that the paperwork would take at least a few days, and Malfoy agreed, giving the boy all of Christmas to relax before having to deal with the consequences of his actions.

They were about to leave, the boy visibly calmer now that the worst was over, when he said, "You know, you two are the perfect good cop/bad cop team." He grinned. "I mean, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy? It couldn't get any better than that, could it?" Then he turned and walked towards the nearest public Floo connection. A faint voice wafted back to them, just before he rounded the corner, that sounded suspiciously like, "Wait 'til I tell my friends who showed up."

After a couple of moments of silence, Harry turned to Malfoy, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed his current partner. "The perfect team, hmm?"

Malfoy, still staring after the boy, though he'd long disappeared from sight, jumped at Harry's words. Shaking off whatever he'd been thinking, he considered Harry briefly before rolling his eyes. "You wish, Potter." The twitch of his lips, however, belied his words. He brushed something imaginary from his robes. "See you back at the office," he said, and disappeared with a crack. 

The next few hours passed with only a few calls, giving them plenty of time to finish the evening's paperwork, plus catch up on some outstanding files. Though they hadn't faced anything life threatening, each of them had been quick to deflect spells directed at the other, and they'd responded as one unit quite naturally, without effort. Harry was surprised to find that they worked well together, better perhaps than he'd worked with any other partner he'd had since becoming an Auror.

"I'm going to pick up some takeaway. Anything strike your fancy?" Malfoy asked.

Harry looked up from his current scribblings and tried not to react. Malfoy had changed from his Auror robes into a decidedly Muggle outfit: charcoal trousers and a black knit sweater that subtly showed off his physique. Harry hadn't thought of it before, but Malfoy was fit - all young Aurors were, of course, but Malfoy ... well, Harry hadn't realised just how fit his old school rival was. His mouth watered as his brain tried to work out what Malfoy had said.

"Like what you see?" Malfoy asked.

 _Fuck, yes._ Harry shook off that thought. "Sorry? What did you say?"

Malfoy chuckled, then stepped forward, encroaching on Harry's personal space, and leaned in. "Do. You. Like. What. You. See?" he whispered into Harry's ear, his soft hair tickling Harry's neck. Harry shuddered involuntarily.

Going for nonchalance, but convinced he failed miserably, Harry said, "It's just ... I don't think I've ever seen you in Muggle clothes before."

Malfoy eyed Harry warily, not fooled at all. "I generally don't make a habit of it at work," he said. "But I fancied some takeaway from a Muggle place round the corner, and didn't think it would do to wear an Auror uniform."

"Ah. Yes. Well that makes sense." He caught the bemusement in Malfoy's eyes and added, "The look suits you."

Malfoy smiled. It struck Harry that he'd not seen Malfoy do that much over the years, certainly not in Harry's company, unless he was laughing at Harry's expense. Yet he'd smiled or laughed repeatedly tonight. Come to think of it, so had Harry. It felt good, almost natural.

"So, do you fancy anything in particular?"

 _You,_ his mind supplied. "Er ..."

"Standard fare," Malfoy said. "I felt like some fish and chips." Harry gaped. "What? I am English after all."

"Yes, but ..." Harry never imagined Malfoy eating anything _ordinary_ unless it was part of the standard menu at Hogwarts. Certainly not willingly. "Never mind. Fish and chips sounds brilliant." His stomach made its agreement known, and he laughed. "I didn't realise how hungry I was. Thanks."

Malfoy walked out the door, leaving Harry to wonder just what had turned his world upside down in the span of one shift.

When Malfoy returned and Harry tried to pay him for his meal, Malfoy said, "Catch me next time." 

Harry nodded, finding he was quite looking forward to the next time they had supper together.

The next call, from Birmingham, came just as they'd finished their meal. They arrived to find an agitated elderly witch wringing her hands. "At last, you're here!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes and Harry gritted his teeth. They'd only stopped to wash up before responding, and it had taken all of two minutes to arrive after receiving the call. 

"What's the problem?" Harry asked.

"Surely you can hear that dreadful noise!" she said. "I think someone's being killed."

Harry, used to tuning out background noises when Apparating, focused his attention. Sure enough, a wailing sound rolled over them. In truth, it sounded more like an animal being tortured than a human being harmed. He glanced at Malfoy who was frowning in concentration.

"You say it's coming from your neighbour's house?" Malfoy asked. "Did you confirm that before calling us?"

She crossed her arms over her ample bosom and glared at Malfoy. "I'm not in the habit of waltzing into dangerous situations," she said. "That's what you're paid to do, isn't it?"

Harry shot Malfoy a sidelong glance, his lip twitching. "Yes, ma'am, that's correct. We certainly wouldn't expect you to risk your own safety. In fact, we discourage that. We only wanted to ascertain whether or not you'd approached the house, what you might have seen, and if you had visual confirmation of a crime being committed."

She looked mildly mollified. "Well I did approach the property, but as soon as I heard a screech - most definitely from inside the house - I high-tailed it back home and contacted your office."

Malfoy rolled his eyes again. She didn't notice, her eyes firmly on Harry. "You did the right thing," he assured her. She smiled. Malfoy looked as though he might throw up. "My partner and I will investigate the situation."

They left the woman safely ensconced in her own home and crossed to the adjacent property. Another wail sounded, this time louder and longer than the last, and they picked up their pace. "I'll go round back," Malfoy said. You take the front."

Harry nodded. "Signal when you're in position." 

Malfoy flashed him a smile and disappeared around the side of the house. Harry's stomach flipped at the playful sparkle in Malfoy's eyes. He shook his head, discarding the wayward thought, and peeked in through the gap in the drapes hanging in what he presumed was the front room window. His vision was obscured by a large Christmas tree, but he did see movement inside. 

The wailing picked up again, evoking visions of Voldemort's Muggle games that Harry had been privy to during the war. He suppressed a shudder. He moved into position and waited for Malfoy's signal. When the coin heated up and reverberated in his pocket, Harry knocked. "Aurors. Open the door." Nothing. He knocked again. No answer. Not surprising with the noise coming from the house. 

He sent back a signal to Malfoy, counted to three, then charged into the house.

Several things happened at once. Harry waved his wand, Malfoy yelled "Aurors!" and the lone occupant of the house, a seventy-something witch decked out in a garish red jumper with a reindeer plastered across the front of it, screamed. Harry and Malfoy shared a look of confusion before Harry had the sense to try to calm the woman down.

"Ma'am, is everything okay?" he asked.

She ran her eyes over their Auror uniforms before she straightened her shoulders, then scowled first at Harry, then at Malfoy. "Why are you in my house? Who gave you permission to come in here?"

 _Honestly_. They were trying to save her life! "We knocked," Malfoy explained, quite reasonably he thought.

She looked sceptical. Potter ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his neck. This drew her gaze away from Malfoy and her expression softened. "Are you … _Harry Potter_?"

Malfoy huffed and Harry nodded. "We had a complaint about noise coming from the house. One of your neighbours thought you might be in trouble."

A blotchy wave of pink moved from her neck slowly up her face. She blinked and looked out her window. "I was singing carols," she said.

Malfoy snorted, covering the noise lamely with a cough. Harry refused to look at him, for fear he'd collapse in laughter. He did, however, catch Malfoy's shuffling feet out of the corner of his eye.

"I blame Muggles," Malfoy said once they'd returned to the office. 

"Of course you do," said Harry, still too amused by their latest call for Malfoy's comment to bother him.

"Think about it," he explained. "It's all the fault of those ridiculous _reality_ singing shows," Malfoy said "I mean what else would possess her to put a _Sonorus_ charm on herself when singing alone in her house?"

"You have a point there."

"Don't sound so surprised."

The next half hour was spent writing their reports. Harry was convinced that his future death in the line of duty would consist of being buried under stacks of parchment

"Oh, for the love of --"

Harry looked up to see Malfoy reading a note that had fluttered in without him noticing. "What is it this time?"

"Apparently the Misuse office has been going non-stop all night, didn't staff up for it, and they're calling us in to respond to the latest."

"Well," Harry said, standing up and grabbing his cloak, "we might as well get going then."

"But our shift is almost over," Malfoy whined. "I just want to go home."

Harry snorted and put an arm around Malfoy's shoulders. "There, there, Malfoy. I'm sure we'll fend off the big bad Christmas toys gone awry in no time, and have you home to Mummy within the hour."

Malfoy shot Harry a curious look that he couldn't quite decipher, before shaking himself free. "Fuck off, Potter. We should be going home in ten minutes, not an hour."

Harry shrugged, not in any rush to go home to his empty house. Loathe though he was to admit it, his evening with Malfoy had been ... fun. His temporary partner had proven himself not only witty and enjoyable to be around - much to Harry's astonishment - but also someone Harry wouldn't hesitate to join in battle, knowing he could count on the other man to have his back. And wasn't that saying something? And, Harry could no longer deny to himself, Malfoy was most definitely not hard on the eyes. 

Harry smiled at Malfoy. "Just think of the overtime."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "You are aware that I'm filthy rich, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Then why on earth would I care about overtime?"

Harry pulled on his cloak, wondering why Malfoy worked at all. "You seem to like working here," he said. "And you're very good at your job."

Malfoy furrowed his brows, then said, in a tone Harry could only describe as sultry, "I'm very good at _everything_ I do, Potter."

Harry's pants tightened at those words, and he fought to maintain his composure. What was it that he'd been saying? Oh, yes. He cleared his throat and continued. "Right. Well. It seems to me someone such as yourself - a man who puts forth his best efforts at his job, despite not needing said job - takes a certain amount of pride in what he does. By further demonstrating his commitment to the department by, say, working overtime, he presents himself as even more worthy of acceptance and appreciation. Someone who, perhaps, fancies himself moving up the chain of command, could only benefit from such actions."

"Shocking," Malfoy said.

Harry frowned. "What?"

"I would never have pegged you as quite so astute."

Harry rolled his eyes and made his way to the door. He call back, "Let's get on with it, then," he said. "This night has clearly been shocking to us both."

They arrived at the address in question to find mayhem and chaos. Toys shot across the floor, chocolates and biscuits flew through the air, and ornaments hopped from branch to branch on the tree, terrorising the angel atop.

"This isn't misuse of magic," Malfoy said.

Harry grinned. "Nope. This is wild magic, if ever I've seen it."

They approached the young woman who seemed to be in charge - or rather, not in charge - of the house. "What seems to be the problem?" Harry asked. He heard Malfoy cough in the background.

"I don't know!" the woman said. "I'm only here minding the children - I'm Mary, by the way - while my cousin and her husband are out."

"When did all this start, Mary?" Harry was pretty sure he knew the answer, but wanted to hear from the woman directly.

"When I put the little ones to bed."

Malfoy laughed. "Might we presume that they didn't want to go to bed?"

"That's right," she said. "But I told them they had to."

"And they went?"

"Samantha did, but Jerold put up a good fight."

"Perhaps we could see Jerold?" Malfoy suggested.

"Of course." She led the way upstairs, and to the little boy's room. Jerold, feigning sleep, lay curled up in his bed, eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Jerold, these men would like to talk to you."

The boy didn't move, but his breathing stilled. Malfoy chuckled. "Jerold, we know you aren't asleep, and you are not in any trouble. We just want to speak with you for a few minutes."

The boy blinked his eyes open and pulled himself into a sitting position, then rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. When his eyes seemed to focus, Malfoy motioned to the edge of the bed, and the boy nodded. Harry noticed the noise from downstairs lessen.

"I am Auror Malfoy, and this is Auror Potter. We've come to see what's the matter here tonight." The boys eyes widened and he clutched a stuffed crup. Malfoy quickly added, "You're not in any trouble, Jerold. But there are some strange things happening downstairs." The boy held tightly to his crup. "But you know that, don't you?"

The boy began to shake his head, looked at Malfoy, then nodded instead.

"You know, when I used to get upset as a boy - if my parents made me do something I didn't like, or they went out and left me with a sitter when I thought they ought to be home with me - strange things happened at my house too."

"They did?" The little boy's voice was full of wonder.

Malfoy nodded. "Indeed. And do you know why?" Jerold shook his head. "Because you are a wizard, and inside you is all sorts of magic, desperate to get out."

"My dad's a wizard."

Malfoy smiled. "We are wizards too. And I suspect Auror Potter may have had a thing or two act up when he was a boy too."

Harry nodded. "I did."

"But we have to be careful when that happens," Malfoy said. "Because when our magic is out of control, people can get hurt."

"I don't want to hurt anybody."

"I'm sure you don't," Harry said. "So we are going to help you to stop your magic from escaping. Would that be okay?"

He nodded. "I don't want to hurt anybody."

"Very good, then. What upset you?"

"My mum always tucks me in at night, but she isn't here." The noise from downstairs picked up again.

"You know she's coming home, right?" Malfoy said. The boy nodded. "And did she give you a hug before she left?"

"A great big one!" he said. The noise dimmed once more.

"Well, I should think that would hold a big boy like yourself for quite a while."

He looked sceptically at Malfoy, then nodded hesitantly.

"And you know that Father Christmas will be visiting tonight," Malfoy said.

"Uh huh."

"And you know that he won't come if you're not asleep, right?"

"He won't?"

"Nope. It's in the rule book."

Jerold's lower lip quivered. "But I want him to come."

Harry had an idea, and pulled the sitter aside while Malfoy continued to talk to the boy. "Do you think we could manage a quick Floo call?"

Mary wrung her hands together. "I didn't want to disturb them. It's the first time I've sat for them."

Harry considered the boy and his obvious closeness with his mother. "I don't think she'd mind at all."

"Okay."

"Jerold," Mary said, "would you like to come to the living room for a moment?" He nodded. "You'll have to go straight to bed, though, afterward."

He pulled himself out of bed, still clutching the crup. He looked up at Malfoy and reached out a hand, which Malfoy took. They walked together down the stairs and stopped at the Floo. Everything had stopped moving round the room.

"Have you ever seen your parents using the Floo before?" Malfoy asked. Jerold nodded. "Good. We'll see if we can't get your mum on the line - only for a minute - to say a quick goodnight to you. Then you'll have to head back to bed, okay?"

His grin reached his eyes and he clutched Malfoy's hand. Malfoy extracted himself. "How about we don't tell your mum about our visit just yet?" he suggested. "You can tell your parents all about it over breakfast instead. It'll make a great story, don't you think?"

Jerold agreed. Malfoy and Harry stepped back out of sight while the boy spoke to his mother. 

"You were great with him," Harry said.

"Don't sound so surprised, Potter."

Harry shook his head. "You are full of surprises this evening," he said.

"All good, I presume?"

Harry smiled. "All good."

When they heard the Floo close, they made to return to the living room but found themselves trapped. They both grabbed their wands, but no amount of waving them freed them from whatever trap they'd inadvertently fallen into.

"Thank you both so much," Mary said as she and Jerold approached.

"We seem to be in a bit of a predicament here," Harry said. 

Mary giggled and pointed up to the door frame. Mistletoe. "You must have been standing there for more than a minute," she explained. "Once that happens, you're stuck there until you kiss."

Jerold tugged on her trousers and looked up at her. "But I thought that only happened if --"

"Never mind that, you. It's time for bed."

"Happy Christmas," he said and he gave Malfoy a big hug. Harry tried to escape while the boy was under the enchanted plant, but to no avail.

"Happy Christmas, Jerold," Malfoy said as he hugged the boy back.

Jerold held out a hand to Harry, which he took. "Happy Christmas, Jerold."

"Happy Christmas." Jerold allowed Mary to pull him away, but when they were halfway up the stairs, Harry distinctly heard him say, "But Mum says that _both_ people must really want to kiss for the mistletoe to trap them."

Harry didn't have time to process the boy's words before Malfoy stepped towards him. "He's right, you know. That's how enchanted mistletoe works."

"It is?"

"Oh, yes." Malfoy stepped even closer, staring at Harry's lips and running his tongue along his own. "So, Potter, are we going to be stuck here all night or are you going to kiss me?"

Harry would look up the details of enchanted mistletoe later. For now, he brought his lips to Malfoy's and did what he'd been wanting to do for hours. 

Almost instantly he felt the confines of the trap recede, but neither of them pulled away. Instead, they closed the distance between their bodies, wrapped their arms around each other and deepened the kiss. Warmth spread through Harry as their tongues met. A distant voice in the recesses of his mind screamed _I'm kissing Draco Malfoy_ , but then a low moan from Malfoy reverberated through Harry's chest and he stopped thinking altogether. His body began to respond when a distant cough reminded him of where he was. 

They pulled apart slowly, catching each other's eyes before turning to Mary and walking beyond the doorway, out of the mistletoe's reach.

"Well, I see you worked that out." Her cheeks looked a little flushed and she cleared her throat. "Thank you for everything."

"Our pleasure," Harry said. _In more ways than one._

"Happy Christmas," Malfoy said.

They returned to the office, said nothing of their kiss, and quickly wrote up their final report of the evening, leaving a few details out. The next shift had arrived and they were free to go.

"You know, Potter," Malfoy said as he pulled a scarf on, "I'm surprised Kingsley made you work tonight."

Harry lifted his cloak over his shoulders and began buttoning it. "He didn't."

"What do you mean, he didn't?"

"I mean I volunteered to work tonight."

Harry tried not to stare at Malfoy's fingers as he pulled on a pair of gloves. "Whatever would possess you to do that on Christmas Eve?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing else to do, really."

"How do you work that out?" Malfoy said. "What about the Weasleys? I thought you always spent your hols with them."

Harry scratched the back of his neck. He didn't want to get into it, but also didn't want to ruin what ground they'd gained this evening. And for some reason, he felt oddly comfortable talking to Malfoy, however strange his rational mind knew that was. "Gin and I broke up a few months back, and ... well ... I didn't fancy spending the night with her."

"Taking it badly, then?" Malfoy almost sounded hopeful. "Is she being a shrew about things?

Harry laughed. "No, no. She's fine. Well ... she will be, at any rate. She's not giving me grief. But I still feel terribly guilty, and it's enough that I'll have to see that sad look in her eyes all day tomorrow. I just couldn't take it tonight as well."

"Not to mention sleeping under the same roof. That would be awkward."

"Exactly." Harry inwardly appreciated that Malfoy hadn't made some comment about the size of the Burrow. He didn't bother mentioning that Ron hadn't had a lot of time to get used to his _situation_ yet either. They hadn't shared a room together since … well.

"So this isn't a temporary break, then? You don't figure you'll get back with her?"

"Not bloody likely."

"Oh, really? Because the papers are pretty sure you're about to marry. And I'd wager she is too."

Harry remembered the conversation and Ginny's face when he'd called it quits, told her that he preferred men. He shook his head. "No, Gin gets it. But the papers don't have a clue."

"Go on, then," Malfoy said. "Enlighten me."

Harry gazed at Malfoy's tongue running across his lower lip, then he looked at the other Aurors at their desks and shook his head. He wasn't quite ready for a public outing just yet. "Not here."

"You don't have plans tonight," he said. "Come back to the Manor for a night cap and you can tell me all about it."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I don't think so."

Malfoy frowned. "Why not?"

"You're not serious," Harry said. When he was met with a look of mingled confusion and something else he couldn't discern, he added, "You do recall the last time I was there, yeah?"

Malfoy's cheeks went pink and he looked away. "Oh, right." He pulled on his outer cloak and walked out the door. "See you next week then."

Harry followed him down the hall, struggling to keep up. When they approached the Floos, he reached for Malfoy's arm and waited until they were facing each other. "I don't have any mulled wine," he said. "But I do have eggnog and some Ogden's. Feel like joining me?"

Malfoy smiled. "I'd like that," he said. Then he narrowed his eyes. "You don't happen to have enchanted mistletoe hanging about?" he asked.

Harry laughed. "No, I don't." He leaned in and whispered, "But I could arrange for some."

~ FIN ~  



End file.
